Rejecting Control
by Amledo
Summary: Tony realizes that Loki is being controlled by the staff the Chitauri gave him. The story of that moment and the ones that followed it. A sort of hesitant start to the Tony/Loki relationship with hand-holding and Shawarama. Thor/Loki brotherly fluff, no incest. K plus because some people think that gay stuff isn't G rated...


(A/N: I've been kicking around the idea for this one for a few days now. It is the first one that I have done that actually takes place during the movie and so you should know that I have changed things, obviously. I don't own the Avengers and I never will. This is another Loki/Tony piece and does contain a bit of Thor/Loki brotherly fluff no incestuous stuff. There is gay stuff, I mean; Loki and Tony are both guys, so there's that. Anyway, I always waste too much time doing notes, so let's just get on with this mess then.)

Rejecting Control

The God of Mischief stood at the top of the Stark Tower; he was rather enjoying the perspective that he had on the chaos. So confident was he, so assured of his victory that he barely reacted when the Iron Man landed and became Tony Stark once again. He followed the man, one smooth step after another tracking the human's progress into the house proper. There was no harm in letting the man enjoy one last drink after all. Though he did refuse the drink that was offered to him, he never drank if combat was soon to be joined, it made him rather fuzzy and that was unacceptable. Given that he hadn't been feeling quite himself since the fall from the Bifrost, he didn't think that another alteration of his thoughts would be tolerable.

What he didn't expect, was for the staff to fail, it worked on everyone after all. So he was actually, very slightly, frightened when he looked up into dark chocolate colored eyes and when he saw sympathy in them, he grew angry.

"This usually works. It works on everyone," Loki was only marginally proud that his voice did not tremble as he spoke. Stark grasped the staff, his burningly hot fingers splayed across the back of Loki's hand, sending a small thrill of excitement through the Trickster God's heart. It was quickly quashed and Loki was confused by the sensation, but he let it go in the interest of facing down his enemy.

"Even a God?" there was some more of that unnamable sadness in that handsome face. "It worked on you, didn't it Loki?" Tony said all too softly and Loki snarled.

"Never," the green eyed God said, nearly shrieking.

"No? Tell me then Loki, is there a way to reverse the effects?" Tony's hand was blazing as it slid over Loki's, holding the God rooted to the spot.

"It is a staff based on intent. Pressing the tip over the subject's heart will grant you access to that person's soul. You can free them as easily as you can enslave them. But that isn't the case," Loki said, and was not at all certain why he had shared such information, yet he also knew that he desperately wanted Tony Stark to believe him. The encounter was beginning to have an effect on him, his heart pounded in his chest and his lungs burned for oxygen.

"Then prove it to me. If the staff does not rule you, if you are not controlled by some mind other than your own, then I will willingly kneel before you. I will bring the Avengers low in your name and deliver your brother to your mercy," Tony offered in his most winning tone, his face was serious but his eyes radiated sorrow.

Loki could not resist the offer, after all he was not a fighter and many of the Avengers would be a challenge to bring down. He forfeited his grip on the staff and was slightly disappointed when that hot hand disconnected with his own. Some part of his mind was cheering the action, the larger part was violently angry with him. But then Tony pressed the tip of the staff to Loki's chest and the God of Mischief felt his mind become suddenly and violently clear. Tears began to flood brilliant green eyes and Loki's knees struck the floor when his knees would no longer support him.

"I cannot understand how this could have happened," Loki breathed, bowing his head as he sat, wrapping his arms tightly around his knees.

"Guys, you are going to want to get up here. We have a situation. Thor, you were right. He wasn't himself," Tony said softly so as not to startle the God on the floor before him. He knelt and carefully put his arms around the God, pulling him close and tucking that dark head under his chin so that he could rock them both together.

"They will pay for what they have done to me. The Chitauri will not laugh long at the trick they have played on Loki Laufeyson. No one controls a God," Loki said and Tony felt that it was being sworn as an oath. He could feel the God's hot breath on his neck and tightened his arms around slender shoulders.

"We will stand at your side and fight them with you," Tony whispered, not understanding why he felt so upset by the pain that had been inflicted upon the slimmer man.

"I know you will Avenger. Even without my brother on your team, I know this," Loki breathed, fingers grazing Tony's jaw as he surrendered himself to Thor's crushing embrace. The brothers sat together, weeping in joy and sadness. But they still had a battle to win and Tony knew it. He snatched up the staff and strode toward the device where the Tesseract was powering an extra-dimensional portal.

"Tony, what's going on?" Natasha's voice was crackling with static and Tony chanced a glance down toward the street where Black Widow and Captain America were fighting alongside the Hulk to keep their civilian charges safe. He made a note of Hawkeye's position atop a nearby building but otherwise stayed focused on his destination. The Tesseract was unguarded.

"I'm going to close the portal. We have Loki, he is safe. Thor is taking care of him," Tony said and swallowed thickly, he changed his grip on the staff and forced it toward the heart of the generator. It fought him violently and he regretted the fact that he was not wearing his armor. But eventually his strength won out and the power stopped flowing, the portal crawled its way closed, like a giant wound healing over and the streets were littered with the dropping forms of their enemies.

Hours later they were indulging in Shawarma, Loki was sandwiched between Thor and Tony and handing out apologies left and right. He was embarrassed by the things that had happened and no assurance that he was not at fault would dissuade him.

"Just be glad that Tony here is such a self-assured bastard that he was willing to meet you face to face. What would they have done to you in Asgard?" Clint asked, from where he sat, across the table from the green eyed God that had enslaved him. Knowing that Loki had been a slave himself made it easier to forgive, how could you blame someone when they were just a tool? And wouldn't it have been a bit hypocritical of him to have argued that Loki was a criminal?

"I have been punished many times. As has Thor. But if I had been myself…I can imagine that stitching my lips shut would have only been the start of it," Loki muttered between bites.

"Mortality in the heart of Asgard is always a good one," Thor growled softly and washed a bite down with a full cup of piping hot coffee. Bruce and Natasha had paused in eating to consider the Gods at the table. Both had known about Thor and his time as a mortal, Clint had explained that much to them even before they'd gotten their hands on the dossier.

"Oh, do not look so shocked Avengers," Loki gave them a morbid smile. "There are many things for which I have been punished, many more for which I have been unfairly punished. Thor has always been the only part of home that felt like home. By your leave I will remain here and be a part of your team," Loki said, accepting another plate of the heavenly food from his brother.

"As will I," Thor inputted, his blue eyes shining as he lightly rested his hand on Loki's back.

"We will be glad to have you," Tony slung his arm around Loki's middle and hugged the slender God slightly; "Everyone is going to be invited to stay in Avengers Tower when it is completed. Until then I have several homes around the country, pick which ever you might like, I will get you keys and cars and whatever you need," Tony said, not reacting when Loki caught his retreating hand and held it snugly beneath the table. He merely shifted his fingers and grasped Loki's hand more tightly.

"Are you sure? What about the Other Guy?" Bruce asked, he had been a fan of the Shawarma and was on his third plate, exactly four behind Thor and three behind Loki. Natasha and Clint were sharing and Tony had had two and so had Steve, the restaurant owner was absolutely gleeful.

"I have plenty of isolated homes, all equipped with labs that could easily be adapted to your needs."

"What about around here? I was hoping to stay and assist with the cleanup," Steve said, coffee cup poised close to his lips.

"Fury has forbidden it. I will be taking you with Loki, Thor and myself, heading for Maine to spend some time on the coast. I didn't think you would want to go back to being a media darling just yet," Tony said and Steve gave a long-suffering sigh before nodding. Loki's hand was still in Tony's and Thor had noticed. He eyed his brother carefully and shifted his gaze so that he could see Tony's face as well. Both looked content and calm, perhaps he would wait to find out what was going on.

He didn't have to wait long. After an hour he and Steve were sharing the back seat while Tony took the front with Loki. Steve had fallen asleep and was resting his head in Thor's lap. The God of Thunder was slowly petting Steve's hair, something he had done with Loki when they were children; it had staved off Loki's bad dreams. Thor knew that Steve had bad dreams, they all did.

Sharp blue eyes narrowed slightly when Loki's pale hand darted across the divider and snagged Tony's free hand. The brown haired inventor looked at Loki briefly, a smile crossing his lips. Thor wound his fingers into Steve's hair, fingers rubbing against the first Avenger's scalp.

"Brother. You may speak," Loki said, eyes connecting with Thor's in the rearview mirror.

"I would not know what to say. I have never had to deal with someone possessing my brother before," Thor whispered.

"I am fine now Thor. I know that you worry for me. That is not the question I expected to hear from you," Loki said and Thor glanced down at the clasped hands of the pair in the front. He blushed hotly and looked up into Loki's face.

"The other question, brother, is not for me to ask. I know that. You will answer it without my asking if you so wish," Thor said quietly, slipping his fingers back through Steve's hair and earning a quiet sigh from the smaller blonde man.

"You truly have grown, haven't you Thor. I will tell you then, because I wish to do so," Loki lifted Tony's hand and his own, his thumb running along the back of Tony's tanned hand. "Tony was the one that freed me from the Chitauri. You know this. But what you do not know, what you perhaps wouldn't know but for my telling you, is that he is resistant to my magic. To all magic, it would seem. I can never charm him or control him, I can never deceive him," Loki whispered, voice seemingly awed. Thor did not speak; he knew that his brother would understand how such a statement did not explain everything.

"And I can never be used against him. As I have come to understand it, that is a rare thing for him. Thor, I'm trying to say that I am hoping to soon be calling your brother my boyfriend. So if you could not take a hammer to my skull if it does happen, then I would be glad for that," Tony said and Loki was the one that went red in the face. Thor had already looked away, biting his cheeks at the awkwardness of the subject matter.

"To put it less eloquently, that's pretty much what I was getting at," Loki said.

"You are entirely capable of taking care of yourself Loki and Tony is a good man. I wish the best for both of you. It's just, isn't it a bit soon to be considering that?" Thor asked as he recovered himself.

"Battle can forge a bond more quickly than you can imagine Thor. You can fight beside a man for twenty minutes and be his friend for life, I would assume that it works the same way concerning lovers," Steve's voice startled Thor, but the Captain stayed put, head cradled on Thor's thigh. He cracked one blue eye open and looked toward Loki and Tony. "Tony saved him when he needed saving most. It isn't that big of a surprise. But I have no doubt that they will be very happy together."

"Well if the Captain endorses it then its all good," Tony said with his typical smile.

"Indeed. Is this where I promise that if you hurt my brother in any way that I and my Hammer will make you regret it? Because I have always wanted to say that," Thor said raising his eyebrow as Steve continued to lay on his lap fully awake.

"You have said that before Thor. A number of times. To several people. It never gets old," Loki stated and laughter filled the car.

(A/N: And there it is. I know that it probably isn't up to my normal standards but by the Gods I am sick. I just can't make it any better than this. And no that isn't Steve/Thor at the end there, that's just supposed to represent Steve finally relaxing somewhat, not to mention Thor's lap looks like a comfy place…just saying.)


End file.
